


Bad to Worse

by MissLit



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Explicit Language, Gen, Hospitalization, Keith gets incredibly frustrated, Spoilers, Violence, Violence against a character, post-episode 24
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-04 08:52:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18340307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissLit/pseuds/MissLit
Summary: The Hornets find out about Sylvain, but more importantly about Jake.





	Bad to Worse

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place after the hunt that's going on in canon, about a month later when they're working on the new hunt.

Pine needles crackled underfoot as Duck rushed through the trees. He could already feel his chest ache; the loss of Minerva’s magic or whatever the hell it was was definitely taking its toll, even with Leo’s training. He could see Aubrey far to his right, Dani close behind, and Ned to his left with Jake. Barclay had been behind Duck a moment ago, but when Duck directed his eyes forward he could see the man -- Bigfoot-man? -- rushing forward and easily overtaking him. With a pained groan, Duck urged himself on.

They’d learned a lot about this beast in the last few days, but not enough to take it out. Not yet. But it was hard to pin down and they’d needed all hands on deck for this particular mystery.

A clearing was coming up. Though Duck lagged behind he knew already what they were running toward; the gate to Sylvain. Why were these things always headed this way lately? As he heard Dani cry out, Duck forced himself to sprint, finally bursting out of the treeline to see the scene laid out.

The Pine Guard had the new beast surrounded. Even still, it stood tall and calm, staring them down with its back to the Gate. Dani was on the ground, nursing her ankle with Aubrey kneeling beside her. It looked like that thing had lunged but backed off when Ned pulled his Narf blaster. They had it.

Almost.

A sudden roar of motorcycle engines and flash of headlights caused the group to divert their attention just long enough for the creature to attack. It pounced on Ned, causing him to cry out in surprise. He tried to smash his Narf gun into its side but it slipped away, pushing between Jake and Barclay.

A figure on a motorcycle roared into the clearing, cutting off the creature’s escape only for a moment. A second figure followed, but because the Guard was scattered to the winds it managed to slip through their ranks -- for his part Duck _tried_ to grab hold of it but it was just too damn quick -- and it managed to disappear into the woods.

Engines cut off. Helmets were removed. And Hollis, the head of the Hornets, stepped forward looking absolutely furious.

“What in God’s name _was_ that thing?” Hollis demanded, stepping closer to Duck and company.

Things in Kepler had just been getting worse and harder to contain since the incident with the Mimic. Hollis and Sheriff Owens had learned the truth back then, and the rest of the Hornets soon followed. Somehow, miraculously, the rest of the town seemed none the wiser. However, and Hornets demanded that they be kept in the loop in future. Despite Ned’s enthusiastic assurance that they would do so, the Amnesty Lodge crew tried to keep things under wraps.

Until they showed up and ruined their hunt, of course.

“Well,” Duck began, tapping his fingertips together. “That… Was…”

“Another monster,” Hollis supplied. They had a couple of Hornets at their shoulders. “When did it show up?”

Ned stepped in, knowing well enough that Duck wouldn’t be able to keep up the lie. “Just today it seems!” He insisted. “It’s a good thing you Hornets were around or I don’t think we would have been able to scare it off.” Duck silently nodded.

Hollis narrowed their eyes at Duck, taking another step closer. They were nearly nose and nose now and there was a fire in Hollis’s eyes that made Duck swallow. “Is that true?” Hollis demanded.

Suddenly, Jake slipped between them. “C’mon, Hollis,” he said. “Give us a break.”

“Well if it isn’t Jake Coolice,” a voice from behind Hollis sneered. The trio turned to see Kevin walking toward them, bat in hand. “You know about this too, huh?” He turned his attention to Duck, pointing his bat at him. “So what, Ranger, you thought you could enlist some more help while keeping us out of the loop?”

Backing away from Jake and Duck, Hollis turned to their second in command. “I’m sure he has a reason,” they said with a shrug. Their hard eyes turned back to Duck, though. “And I’d like to know what it is.”

Oh no… Duck was really in it deep now. Both groups stood staring him down. He opened his mouth to lie and began to sputter and swear, not sure how to even _begin_ to explain this.

Barclay jumped in, attempting to intervene. “Listen, we’re just trying to keep you all safe,” he said. “You may think you’re tough but these things… Well, you’ve seen what they can do.”

“And you think Jake Coolice -- _Jake_ \-- is tough enough to handle this shit, but not us?” Keith hissed.

“It’s nothing like that,” Barclay quickly said, holding his hands up. “It’s just that, well…”

Keith slammed his bat on the ground, cracking a branch. The sound echoed through the clearing and sent a bird nearby in flight. “Stop lying!” he snapped. “Our friends are _dead_ and you’re gonna stand there and keep feeding us shit?”

At this point Aubrey stepped in. “Listen, Keith, this is much more complicated than some monsters running around,” she said, face set in a frown. “You’re not going to know everything. Simple as that.”

That answer wasn’t good enough, apparently. Keith took a sudden swing with his bat causing Aubrey to jump back. Her eyes darted to the gate that Keith had just hit, and his gaze was directed to it as well. “What… The hell..?”

This was it. The worst case scenario. It was all well and good if a couple of rowdy kids knew about the monsters that were killing their friends and neighbors, but to know about Sylvain?

Keith took a step closer, touching the gate. He could feel it, but because none of them had acknowledged it he still couldn’t see it. “What the _fuck_ ,” Keith hissed. “Is going _on_ here?”

No one wanted to answer.

Slowly, Jake stepped over to Keith. “It’s a gate.”

Those few words were like a bomb going off. Barclay cried out in shock. Keith jumped back as the Gate seemed to pop into existence. Hollis and the rest of the Hornets stood staring at it. Aubrey gasped, and Dani weakly said, “Jake, what..?”

A wave of relief rushed over Duck Newton. _Oh thank Christ, that’s at least twelve less people I have to keep lying to,_ he thought.

“How did you do that?” Keith demanded. His bat was now pointed at Jake.

“I didn’t do anything,” Jake insisted. “That’s always been there.”

Hollis piped up, hesitantly, “How did you _know_ it was there?"

“Because… I came through it.”

A sickening silence fell.

The cogs in Keith’s mind were clearly turning. For a moment, he lowered his weapon, eyes trained on Jake. “You’re… One of them, aren’t you?” he finally said.

Jake hesitated. “We’re not... Really the same. But… If you’re wondering if I’m a monster or not, the answer is that I am.”

Ned was the first to be snapped from the dazed spell that Jake’s rash actions had cast. He let out a booming laugh and threw an arm around Jake’s shoulders. “My, this one! Always kidding around. Come now, Friend Jake, why are you telling such elaborate lies to our Hornet friends?”

It was too late.

“Then that really _was_ Mothman I saw,” Keith sputtered. His eyes flicked to Aubrey who gave him a sheepish smile. “And you… You all are just _hiding_ him?!”

Dani rushed forward, seeming to realize that Keith was close to an outburst. “There’s more than just Jake,” she insisted. “I’m one, too.”

“Dani!” Aubrey gasped.

“And me.” Barclay put a hand on Jake’s shoulder.

At this point Hollis couldn’t stay silent anymore. “So, uh… Are you _all_ monsters or..?”  
  
“Just us three,” Jake replied. It was clear he was tired of lying. “But we aren’t monsters, not like those things. We’re just… People. From a different place.”

Hollis was studying Jake and the rest with an odd expression. Duck could see it in their eyes, they didn’t see Barclay, Dani or Jake as a threat, not in the same way they’d seen the Mimic or this new monster.

“Okay,” Hollis finally said, shoving their hands in their pockets. “I… Appreciate your honesty, Jake.”

Duck let out a breath. Had he really been holding one? A moment later it became clear his relief was premature.

“Then,” Keith breathed, bringing his bat back up again. “We’ve got to take you out, too.”

He raised the bat, Hollis yelling for him to stop. Dani was still standing between him and the others, but she didn’t move, staring him down with her shoulder squared. But the bat didn’t hit her.

Jake had rushed forward, grabbing Keith’s wrist. “Let. Me. _Go_ !” Keith wrestled Jake away, shoving him toward Dani, Ned and Barclay who all managed to catch him before he hit the ground. “You really expect us to just stand around and wait for you all to turn on us? Huh?! For all we know those monsters are feral versions of _you_!” Duck could hear Barclay take a sharp breath. Was that possible..?

“If you need someone to beat up, then take it out on me,” Jake insisted, stepping closer. “But Dani and Barclay, they’re good people. You’ve already got beef with me, so just have at it.” He opened his arms, holding them out to shield the others. “We’re not like those things. You have to trust me, dude.”

A wind whipped through the trees overhead as this standoff took place. For a moment, it looked like Keith was ready to put the bat away.

A branch snapped somewhere in the forest, and a moment later the bat swung forward with a sickening _thwack_ as it collided with Jake Coolice’s side.

He hit the ground immediately, but Keith didn’t let up. He brought the bat down again and again and again, hitting as much of him as he could reach. After a few swings the bat was beginning to come back  bloody.

Dani was screaming. Ned pulled his Narf gun and was shouting at Keith to stand down. Aubrey looked as though she were about to ignite her hands but trembled and lowered them.

Hollis was the only one who’d been able to react in any significant way. They rushed forward, grabbing Keith from behind in a choke hold and dragged him away from Jake. Keith kicked and shrieked, struggling hard against Hollis but they held him tight as he dropped the bloodied bat.

“Get out of here!” They yelled. “Go on!”

Duck rushed forward, helping Barclay grab Jake’s limp form. His mind kept screaming that they shouldn’t move him. What if there was internal bleeding, what if he’d broken a rib? But they didn’t have a choice. Barclay was gentle as he could, holding Jake to his chest as the group took off. Dani had to tug on Aubrey’s hands to get her to move, but they all disappeared into the woods and up the winding path to Amnesty Lodge.

The rest of the night went by in a blur. Jake had to be taken to the hospital, and Mama was furious. Stupid boy, she’d kept saying, hadn’t they said for years that humans finding out about Sylvain would lead to that?

Though Dani seemed shaken, when Duck asked her how she was feeling she gave him a cold smile. “I’ve seen it before,” she said. “Jake, though? He has a history with them. He thought they’d be different.” She turned back to Dr. Harris Bonkers, giving him a few strokes. “It doesn’t matter, though… It really doesn't matter how well you know someone.”

Barclay took Jake to the hospital, but soon after returned. “They were asking so many questions,” he murmured, rubbing his face. “I didn’t know what to say. When they realized I wasn’t his family they asked me to leave.”

It would be a day before they’d know the extent of Jake’s injuries.

While Duck and company tried to decide what their next move would be, Hollis made their way to the hospital. Jake opened his eyes -- _eye_ , one was swollen shut -- and made a confused noise when he saw Hollis seated beside him, reading.

“You’re up,” Hollis sighed, setting the book aside. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I just took a gnarly fall off a double black diamond,” Jake groaned. Hollis smiled a little. “What… What are you doing here?”

Hollis looked thoughtfully out the window before turning back to Jake. “I’m sorry,” they said. “I’m sorry about… This. I’m sorry that we didn’t just listen when your friends told us to back off. And… Most of all I’m sorry you left the Hornets.”

It was a relief to hear. “Well, you didn’t do _this_ ,” Jake began with a weak smile. “I don’t blame you for not listening to those three. And… Yeah… I regret leaving sometimes, too.”

Nodding, Hollis looked down at their lap for a moment. “So, uh… I turned Keith in.”

“You what?”

“Yeah… Fun’s fun but what Keith did… That wasn’t part of our plan.” Hollis leaned their head back letting out a long sigh. “Jake? Was all of that true? Are you really a… A monster?”

Jake’s eyes darted to the door, checking if anyone was within earshot. It was closed tight. “Well… We prefer Sylvan. But yeah.”

“Sylvan,” Hollis repeated, trying out the title.

“Mmhm. Because our home is called Sylvain.”

“Makes sense.”

“Really, Hollis… If we were dangerous… I mean, we would have…”

Hollis held up a hand. “If you were dangerous at all you would have taken Keith down a long time ago,” they supplied. “I get it.”

Jake studied their face. Hollis was always hard to read but now, in particular, he couldn’t pick anything from their expression. “Are you going to tell everyone?” he asked, softly. “Because… If you do we’ll have to leave. Dani, Barclay… Me…”

With a slight shake of their head, Hollis replied, “No. I told the Sheriff that Keith had some kind of psychotic break after a monster attacked us again. The rest of the Hornets… I mean, they were there. They saw what you did, they saw how it went down. And if that’s how Sylvans are gonna respond when they’re literally being threatened we have no reason to think you’re gonna attack us.” They looked Jake in the eye. “Tell your friends that, too. The Hornets are prepared to keep your secret.”

A few tears slid down Jake’s face. He’d faced a lot since he was outcast from Sylvain, he’d seen a lot. He’d started the Hornets as an attempt to make some friends outside of Amnesty Lodge and his time with them was great. But he was a gentle soul, Hollis knew that much. He’d left when things got too rough, when it stepped away from just being about sport and fun.

“Thanks, Hollis,” Jake choked out. “You… You don’t know how rare it is to find someone who’s kind enough to protect our secrets.”

“It’s the least we can do,” Hollis replied. They stood, gave Jake’s hand a small pat, then shoved their hands in their jacket pockets as they headed for the door. “Rest up. The Hornets want to talk to you when you’re ready to.”

Jake craned his neck, unable to fully sit up just yet. “Talk..? What about?”

Hollis stopped at the door and gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Well… We’re down a Hornet. And I need a new second in command.” They turned back to Jake with a sly smile. “Seems to me we need a new approach going forward.” Jake’s mouth was hanging open in shock.

“Think it over. We’ll be back to talk more.” With that, Hollis was gone.

 


End file.
